Each year between January and April, Los Angeles residents observe a marked increase in local on-location filming. New television pilots, produced in anticipation of May screenings for television advertisers, join continuing TV series, feature films and commercial projects in competition for talent, crews, stage 6255 W. Sunset Blvd. CREDITS: space and sought-after locations. 12th Floor Research Analysts: Hollywood, CA 90028 Adrian McDonald However, Los Angeles isn’t the only place in North America Corina Sandru hosting pilot production. Other jurisdictions, most notably New Graphic Design: York and the Canadian city of Vancouver have established http://www.filmla.com/ Shane Hirschman themselves as strong competitors for this lucrative part of @FilmLA Hollywood’s business tradition. Below these top competitors is FilmLA Photography: a second-tier of somewhat smaller players in Georgia, Louisiana Shutterstock and Ontario, Canada— home to Toronto. FilmL.A.’s official count shows that 202 broadcast, cable and digital pilots (111 Dramas, 91 Comedies) were produced during the 2014-15 development cycle, one less than the prior year, TABLE OF CONTENTS which was the most productive on record by a large margin. Out of those 202 pilots, a total of 91 projects (21 Dramas, 70 WHAT’S A PILOT? 3 Comedies) were filmed in the Los Angeles region. NETWORK, CABLE, AND DIGITAL 4 FilmL.A. defines a development cycle as the period leading up to GROWTH OF DIGITAL PILOTS 4 the earliest possible date that new pilots would air, post-pickup. DRAMA PILOTS 5 Thus, the 2013-14 development cycle includes production COMEDY PILOTS 5 activity that starts in 2013 and continues into 2014 for show THE MAINSTREAMING OF “STRAIGHT-TO-SERIES” PRODUCTION 6 starts at any time in 2014 (or later). PILOTS’ ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE 9 TOP PILOT PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 9 While this is the fourth largest annual tally in Los Angeles’ SERIES VS. PILOT PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 10 history, it was 10 fewer than L.A. handled during its peak year of 2004-05. In terms of overall market share, L.A. captured just 45 RUNAWAY SERIES PRODUCTION 12 percent of all pilots in the current cycle, marking the second year THE CURRENT DRAMA SERIES LANDSCAPE IN L.A. 14 in a row that L.A.’s share fell below 50 percent. CONCLUSION 15 2 WHAT’S A PILOT? For more than a decade, FilmL.A. has conducted ongoing primary and secondary research to keep track of new television pilots. Our counts include all pilot projects of which FilmL.A. is made aware through primary and secondary research, and for which a primary production location was verified. FilmL.A. uses the word “pilot” throughout this study to refer to all original scripted pilots, shorter- length presentations or “hidden pilots” captured during the development cycle. Pilot counts within a development cycle include both stage-based and location-based projects made in any location, of any running duration, intended for primetime debut on either broadcast or cable networks serving U.S. audiences. Original web series are included for this analysis, but animated pilot productions are not counted. Networks may choose to skip pilot and presentation production and immediately “green light” promising new shows for series production. Rather than discount new production occurring anywhere within the development cycle, FilmL.A. includes the first episode of these “straight-to- series” productions as “hidden pilots” in all of its counts. Total Pilots Produced in N.Y. and Atlanta 2008-2015 L.A.’S SHAREL.A.’s OF TOTALShare PILOTS of Total PRODUCED Pilots Produced 35 1.0 100% 30 80% 0.8 81% 82% 25 71% 68% 60% 0.6 61% 20 59% 57% 51% 52% 15 45% 0.4 40% 44% 10 0.2 20% 5 0 0.0 0% 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Digital Pilots vs. Network and Cable Pilots 250 For FilmL.A. Research, determining what should be counted as a “pilot” seems to grow more difficult Network & Cable with each passing year. For example, one of the pilots tracked this year was for the NBC© series Heroes: Reborn, a continuation of the originalL.A.’s NBC show ShareHeroes, which of ran Total from 2006 Drama to 2010. Pilots Produced Should the pilot for the “new” show, from the same studio and showrunners that will air on the same 200 Digital Digital Network Share of Pilot Activity 192 176 network be counted as a pilot or 80is the new series just an extension of the prior run on the same 178 15 network? The same could be said of the reboot the NBC sitcom Coach or Fox’s™ forthcoming X-Files, which is a limited-run series70 that is a continuation of the original series that aired on Fox 150 from 1993 to 2002. Given the length of time between the original series and these “new” reboots, 151 60 63% 12 FilmL.A. has elected13% to count them as pilots produced for the new runs. 50 100 9 Another wrinkle in classifying pilots has been the significant50% increase in the number of limited-run or so-called “event” series that are not40 intended to last more than a single season. If a single season of episodes is aired for a series that, in fact, doesn’t return for subsequent38% seasons, it would be38% akin 6 to a true mini-series like Roots, Lonesome30 Dove or Stephen King’s IT. A true mini-series is a wholly 50 29% separate category5% of production that should fall outside the scope of a pilot study. The25% problem with 3 4% 20 1 26 these limited or event series is that they sometimes can and do return for multiple seasons with an 22% © 19% 11 indefinite rather than limited run. For example, ABC’s Agent Carter was conceived as a “limited” 17% 0 8 .6% 10 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 0 series that would end after eight episodes. However, in early 2015, producers announced that a 2011-12 second2012-13 season2013-14 was2014-15 possible; in May,0 the show was ordered to a second season of 13 episodes. FilmL.A. included Agent Carter in last year’s 2006-7pilot report2007-8 and will2008-9 continue2009-10 to include2010-11 the first 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Top Pilot Locations episodes of “event” or “limited run” projects in our studies while this trend persists. 200 Los Angeles’ Share of Pilot Spending Comedy Pilot Locations 8 9 50 3 150 6 17 16 15 3 6 8 46% 7 10 5 4% 8 2 40 1 100 87 92 96 90 91 8% 39% 30 4% 30% 31% 50 12 20 9 9 7 5 70% 17 20 19 35 25 0 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 10 Toronto 0 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2014-15 Vancouver Louisiana Oregon Los Angeles South Carolina Atlanta North Carolina New York Chicago Total Pilots Produced in N.Y. and Atlanta 2008-2015 L.A.’s Share of Total Pilots Produced 35 1.0 30 0.8 81% 82% 25 Total Pilots Produced in N.Y. and Atlanta 2008-2015 L.A.’s Share of Total Pilots Produced 71% 68% 35 1.0 0.6 61% 20 59% 30 57% 52% 51% 0.8 81% 82% 15 25 45% 44% 71% 0.4 68% 0.6 61% 20 59% 10 57% 51% 52% 15 45% 0.2 0.4 44% 5 NETWORK, CABLE, AND DIGITAL GROWTH OF DIGITAL PILOTS 10 Over the last several years, non-traditional programming available During the 2011-12 cycle, just one pilot tracked by FIlmL.A. from online services like Amazon© and Netflix© began altering the was produced for a digital network. By comparison, there were concept of broadcast television in terms of how they acquire content, 26 pilots produced for digital networks in 2014-15. Leading 0.2 the manner in which they deliver it and how viewers consume it. the digital networks was Amazon, with 13 pilots followed by 0 Netflix5 (10 pilots), Hulu© (2 pilots) and PlayStation™ Network 0.0Since the 2007-08 development2004-5 cycle, FilmL.A.2005-6 has included2006-7 in its 2007-8(1 pilot).2008-9 Of the 176 non-digital2009-10 pilots,2010-11 85 were cable2011-12 pilots and 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 Television Pilot Production Reports a breakout of broadcast network 91 were network. vs. cable pilot projects. Because digital networks were not major players at that time, FilmL.A. initially counted digital projects as cable 0 series, starting with the 2011-12 development cycle. Today, however, 0.0 2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Digital Pilots vs. Network and Cable Pilots rapid growth in the production of new pilots for digital distribution, 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 demands we count cable projects and digital projects separately. 250 DIGITAL VS. TRADITIONAL PILOT COUNTS From this report forward, FilmL.A.’s Pilot Production Reports will Digital Pilots vs. Network and Cable Pilots Network & Cable include breakouts for broadcast, cable and digital networks. 250 Network / Cable Network & Cable Digital L.A.’s Share of Total Drama Pilots Produced L.A.’s Share of Total Drama Pilots Produced 200 Digital Digital Network Share of Pilot Activity 192 200 Digital Digital Network Share of Pilot Activity 176 DIGITAL NETWORK SHARE OF PILOT ACTIVITY 80 192 176 80 178 178 1515% 70 15 70 150 150 151 60 63% 151 12 13% 12% 60 12 13% 63% 50 100 9 50% 50 40 100 99% 50% 38% 38% 6 30 5040 29% 5% 25% 6% 38% 3 38%4% 20 22% 6 1 26 19% 30 8 11 17% 50 0 29% .6% 10 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 0 5% 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 3% 25% 3 4% 20 0 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 1 26 The past year also saw a major development impacting the 22% digital network universe with the announcement that premium 19% 11 ® ® 17% 8 .6% cable network channels HBOTop and Pilot Showtime Locations would begin 0 offering10 stand-alone subscription options for people who 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 0% 0 200consume content online and a growing number of consumers 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 electing to “cut the cord” on television providers like Comcast© and Time0 Warner©.